It grows from a deep, fleshy taproot that breaks (and can regrow) when you try to pull the plant out. It spreads by wind-borne seeds and sprouting root crowns. Flowering begins in spring and often continues until frost; in mild weather, seeds can germinate year-round. Pull out young plants before the taproot has a chance to grow much.
Oak root fungus attacks many trees and woody plants in the low elevations of California (but not in the desert). Winter symptom is clusters of mushrooms growing on or near the plant. The tree dies back, but leaves may hang on for months. If you think one of your trees has it, peel bark in several places at soil surface. Just under the bark, flat, white, creamy laters of mycelium indicate the disease. In the summer, avoid watering close to trunks of susceptible trees and shrubs. The only treatment: uncover the infected root crown and leave it exposed to air.
Winter rains, moist summer fogs, favorable temperatures, and cool nights- combined with heavy dew that lingers on the foliage well into morning- favor its growth (leaf surfaces must be continuously wet for 4 hours for spores to germinate). Rust sometimes disappears during summer hot spells; spores can’t survive temperatures in excess of 80 degrees much longer than a week.
Although primarily a rose pest, rust has different strains that attack hollyhocks, snapdragons, and certain other plants (one strain of rust is such a pest on snapdragons, that some gardeners avoid growing these plants). On roses, the disease usually appears in late spring as small, roughly circular rusty orange spots on leaf undersides; these enlarge to thick, powdery masses of orange spores as yellow blotches (sometimes bordered with light green) appear on the leaf surface. Stem lesions are long narrow; leaf lesions are slightly cupshaped.
Basic good gardening practices help control rust. At first signs of the disease, pick off and destroy infected leaves before they fall to the ground. Prune and destroy infected stems. To avoid spreading the disease to neighboring plants, don’t water leaves of infected bushes. Consult your local garden supply store for other type of recommendations.
Pocket gophers are troublesome in many areas of the West, but in coastal California they rank among the top three garden pests. Like little bulldozers, these furry creatures dig a network of tunnels -- usually 6 to 12 inches below the surface -- with strong, clawed forefeet and powerful shoulders. Tunnels near the surface are for gathering food; deeper ones are for sleeping, storing food, and raising young. Gophers eat roots, bulbs, and sometimes plants. Trapping is the most widely used and efficient method of catching gophers. Clobbering a gopher with a shovel can work after the victim has been flushed from his tunnel by flooding (level ground only) or gassing. Gassing is most effective only when all holes are blocked; otherwise, a groggy gopher may emerge from an unblocked hole and you'll have to dispatch him with other means. Water areas around tunnel first to prevent gas from seeping through soil in tunnel sides.
Sometimes it's necessary to start a totally new lawn or to completely rebuild large areas of an existing lawn. In these cases, prepare the seed bed with a rotary tiller or some other type of digging equipment. Take time to prepare the soil thoroughly to a depth of about 6". If the soil is compacted, mix in peat moss or gypsum to keep it loose. This will help the roots of the new grass to survive.-
Prepare the seed bed by raking it thoroughly and removing all stones, sticks, etc. Break up all dirt clods so the new seed will have a good chance to grow.
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Reseed the area with a mechanical seed spreader. Reseed at the rate recommended on the package of seed you're using. In most cases, no raking is required after seeding, although certain types of seed need a light raking.
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Lightly sprinkle the reseeded area two or three times a day if the reseeding is done in hot weather. Repeat this daily watering until the new seedlings are about 1" tall. After the new grass has reached this height, water it thoroughly about once each week until it's ready for the first mowing.
It's best to seed your lawn in the fall, if possible. Of course, lawn seed can be sown at other times of the year. But fall is the ideal time for seeding to rejuvenate an existing lawn or to start a new one.-
In most parts of the United States, an existing lawn should be reseeded in late August or early September. This gives the new grass seed time to grow during the cool fall days.
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Before reseeding thin or bare spots, rake the lawn thoroughly with a broom rake. Use a heavy-duty broom rake with looped spring braces between the handle bar and spacer bar for this type of lawn raking. Broom rakes are available with either flat steel or wire teeth.
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A multi-purpose rake, sometimes called a double-duty rake, may be ideal for removing a heavy build-up of thatch on your lawn. The rake's sharp teeth on one side will easily remove the thatch. The flanged teeth on the other side make it easy to pulverize the soil in preparation for reseeding.
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After the lawn has been thoroughly thatched and raked, the thin and bare spots will be more easily visible. Loosen the soil in any of the bare spots to a depth of about 1" or more with a speedy cultivator or some other type of handy soil-loosening tool.
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After loosening and pulverizing the soil in the bare spots, sprinkle the newly prepared area with the proper amount and type of lawn fertilizer. Then, rake it level.
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If the bare spots have been compacted by heavy traffic, loosen the soil to a depth of about 6". Then, pulverize the soil and add a small amount of peat moss or gypsum to help keep it loose after the reseeding.
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When the soil is thoroughly loosened and leveled, reseed with a top-quality seed. Select a grass seed mixture that is specially prepared for the type of location you are reseeding. For example, some seed mixtures work well in shady areas, while other mixtures are made for reseeding sunny areas. Ask a salesman in your local retailer's lawn and garden department to help you select the correct seed.
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Reseed the bare spots by hand. Reseed the area sparingly as only about six seeds per square inch will survive. Sowing the seed too thickly simply wastes seed and money. After the seeds are sown, spray the area with a light mist of water.
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Your new grass will get off to a much faster start if you cover the reseeded areas with clear sheets of polyethylene plastic. This covering keeps the moisture in the soil and eliminates the need for constant sprinkling. Secure the edges of the plastic sheet with small rocks, dirt or stakes.
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Take care to remove the polyethylene cover when the first seedlings appear. The cover helps the seeds until they germinate, but it will kill all seeds quickly unless it is removed when you see seedlings. After removing the cover, keep the soil moist by spraying it with a light mist two or three times a day until the grass is about 1" high. Continue to water newly seeded areas about once a week until the new grass is about 3" tall.
Planting a new lawn, whether by sod or stating by seed, requires some basic procedures to follow. Preparing the ground is perhaps the most important technique to assure a beautiful lawn.
The following steps are suggested for preparation and planting a new lawn:
- Remove all weed and debris from area where lawn is to be planted.
- Add any necessary soil amendments (such as organic compost and gypsum) to insure a rich, well draining soil.
- Till the soil thoroughly. The too 6” of soil should have a good texture.
- Grade the planting area so that will run off away from the house. This can be done by using a landscape rake or a homemade board scraper (using a 2” X 4” X 8” board attached to a handle).
- Water the soil after leveling and then use a lawn roller to settle soil. Repeat leveling and settling until soil stays level after rolling.
- Install an underground irrigation system.
- Re-level and grade soil.
- Place benderboard (header board) to be used as a mowing strip around area containing a lawn. For a more stable mow strip, you should double the lengths of header board.
- Apply a high-phosphorus starter fertilizer.
- Plant your lawn or roll your sod!
Plant your rose bushes in an area that receives a minimum of six hours of sunshine each day. Dig the hole for planting large enough to give the roots plenty of room.-
It may be wise to add peat moss or some form of compost to the dirt in the hole before planting the rose. Sand should also be added if the soil is extremely moist.
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Examine the roots carefully after the plant is placed in the hole. Trim back dead or broken roots with a hand tool.
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Use top soil to form a cone in the bottom of the hole where the rose bush is to be planted. Spread the rose roots evenly over this cone. Again, make sure the hole is large enough to provide adequate room for all rose roots.
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Set the rose bush at the proper depth. Most healthy rose bushes have three strong shoots coming up from the root system. Cover the knot just below these three shoots to a depth of 1".
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Pack the soil firmly around the roots of the rose bush. Fill the hole with water and allow it to soak in. Then, refill the hole again.
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Prune the rose bush after planting. Prune hybrid tea roses back to lengths of about 6" to 8". Trim floribundas to lengths of approximately 4" to 6". Spray all pruned areas with a special pruning paint to prevent damage from insects and disease.
Good grass is important, but it is only one element in a beautiful lawn. Grass can be enhanced by attractive trees, shrubs, flowers, etc. Although trees and shrubs are hearty plants, they must be planted correctly to survive.-
The first step in planting trees and shrubs is to give them plenty of room. Make the hole in which the tree or shrub is to be planted wide enough for the longest root to be laid into it without crowding. A rule of thumb is to make the hole in which the tree or shrub is to be set one-half again as large as the diameter of the roots of the plant.
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You can save yourself considerable cleanup time by piling the soil dug from the hole onto canvas or plastic sheets. This also prevents the piled dirt from killing or damaging the grass around the hole.
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It's a good idea to mix some peat moss into the soil when replacing it around the newly set plant or tree.
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If the shrub or tree is in a container, dig the hole at least 2" deeper than the root in the container. Loosen the soil below the root and add a small amount of plant food.
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Remove the shrub or tree from the container and lower it into the hole. Refill the hole with thoroughly loosened soil. Then, form a mound with additional soil around the edge of the newly dug hole. This provides a basin to hold water until the plant is thoroughly rooted in the new location.
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If the tree or shrub is a bare-root plant, unwrap the roots of the tree after the hole is dug and place it in position. Hold the plant upright with a spading fork while you tamp the loose dirt around the roots. Always set the shrub or tree about 2" lower in the ground than it was originally set before replanting.
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Use plenty of water when resetting balled or bare-root plants. Fill the basin around the tree and let the water soak in thoroughly. After one complete soaking, resoak it again.
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Water is essential to a new shrub or tree in the first few days after replanting. Keep the hole wet during this period. Be sure to build up a basin arrangement to keep water on the plant for several days. Water your newly planted shrub or tree every week to 10 days during a dry spell.
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After replanting the tree or shrub, trim it to the shape and size desired. Pruned limbs will heal faster if you make slanting cuts just above the bud. Spray pruned areas with special pruning spray immediately after trimming to deter insects and disease organisms.
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Protect the new plant against injury and disease by covering the lower part of the tree trunk with a tree wrap. Start the wrap just above the roots and a little below soil level. Continue wrapping to just below the lowest limb. Hold them in position with cords.
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Keep the soil loosened around the new plant and give it a good start by feeding it lightly with plant food. Soak the food into the soil by watering. Feed any new plant with plant food in the spring and fall until it reaches maturity.
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You can create interesting clumps of trees by tying different varieties together and setting them out in bunches. Hold them in position with cords. The cords will rot away quickly after they are placed in the ground. Follow all other planting instructions when trees or shrubs are planted in clumps.
The life of a tree has two pruning phases. In the first phase the primary and secondary scaffolds are selected which builds the structural strength for future crops in short, the shaping of the tree. The second phase of pruning, in trees over five years old, is to maintain and renew fruiting wood. To do this, prune out the dead, weak, and crossing limbs. Cutting out small limbs early prevents large wounds later which take a longer time to heal and result in possible wood rot. Prune to open the center, letting sunlight in and keeping fruiting wood alive; otherwise the fruiting spurs will be shaded out. It is also important that all suckers be removed regularly as they sap the strength. Prune to balance shoot, or vegetative wood, with fruiting wood. Heavy pruning encourages vegetative growth at the expense of fruiting wood. Light pruning encourages heavy fruit set which results in smaller fruit of poor quality. As pruning also helps thin the next year’s crop, the pruner should know where the tree bears its fruit.
Prune Fruit Trees As Follows: Almonds produce on spurs that remain productive for up to five years. In the second phase almonds require little pruning. Pruning is restricted to removal of limbs of 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter and to water sprouts. Approximately 1/5 of the fruiting wood should be replaced each season. Should a tree grow too vigorously, do not prune for a year or so to bring it into bearing.
Apples. Thin out branches to admit sufficient light to all parts of the tree; this will encourage new spurs to develop. Apple trees produce most of their fruit on spurs found on wood two years and older. Spurs can be productive from 6 to 10 years. Prune lightly following a large crop to try to keep trees from alternate bearing.
Apricots bear the bulk of the fruit on spurs on two-year-old wood. Each dormant season, (late fall, early winter), all but one leader, (new growth), should be removed. Crossing limbs and dead wood should be removed also. On the remaining leader cutback approximately 2/3 of current years? growth. Leaders left one year will growfruit spurs the second year and will produce fruit the third year.
Transplanting or re-potting is the most crucial time in the life of a plant. The best time to transplant shrubs, trees, or bedding plants is prior to afternoon sun. This process should also take place in a shaded area.
A few transplanting techniques and tips to follow:
- Make sure the root ball is moist before re-planting.
- Dig a hole roughly as deep as the root ball and twice as wide.
- Make sure the sides of the hole are rough so that the roots can easily penetrate the soil.
- A small mound of soil at the bottom center of the hole will aid drainage.
- Make four vertical slashes 1” deep down the sides of the root ball. This will generate new healthy roots that will more easily penetrate the soil.
- Place the plant in the hole slightly above the soil line. Water thoroughly. The plant will settle as the water drains.
- Build a basin around the plant and water again.
- Water a newly transplanted plant frequently until it becomes established.
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Check plants daily for 2-3 weeks (too dry? too wet?)
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Mow the lawn as soon as necessary after installation, the mowed height recommendation is to be not less than 3” for tall fescue. When it is 5”-6” tall, turn off water and let it dry out before mowing it.
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Adjust sprinklers regularly (i.e.; monthly at least).
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Program the time clock with seasonal weather changes (every two months). Is it time to cut-back or add from the establishment schedule?
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Loosen the soil to counteract compaction (minimum once every two months).
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Apply fertilizer monthly to all garden areas and lawns.
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Prune early and often to keep plants compact.
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Control rodents and pests.
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Re-stake plants as they grow. Remove stakes when plants are strong and well rooted.
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Edge lawns along headers and walkways.
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Weed.
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Mulch (good for retaining moisture during summer dry months).
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Amend soil with at least 1” of compost yearly.
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Keep planting beds raked and free of debris (do not blow leaves under plants).
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Cut-off spent flowers on all perennials.
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Re-establish plant wells to keep water at root zones and keep soil off of plant trunks.
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Change annual color seasonally. September - November for winter color and March - May for summer.
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Transplant plants from over-planted areas.
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Stake to mark locations of perennials which die back.
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Sweep flatwork, debris may stain it.
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Pressure-wash as a first option or acid wash (use sparingly) annually to keep flatwork clean.
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Keep screws tight in redwood decking to prevent cupping.
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Pressure wash decks annually and keep debris from between deck boards to prevent rotting.